BREAKING NEWS :Gadhafi tells followers to defend the nation

BENGHAZI, Libya  Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has told a crowd of his supporters massed in a central Tripoli Square to fight back against protesters and "defend the nation."
Gadhafi, wearing a fur cap and sunglasses, is speaking from the ramparts of the Red Castle, a historic fort, overlooking Green Square, where over 1,000 of his supporters were massed Friday evening, waving pictures of him and green flags. Anti-Gadhafi protests erupted during the day Friday, met by gunfire from pro-regime militia.
Ghadafi, pumping his fist in the air, told the crowd to "retaliate against them, retaliate against them" and "prepare to defend the nation and defend the oil."

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) - Militias loyal to Moammar Gadhafi opened fire Friday on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across the Libyan capital to demand the regime's ouster, witnesses said, reporting at least four killed. In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days.
In the capital's Souq al-Jomaa district, protesters came under fire from gunmen on rooftops as they tried to march to Tripoli's central Green Square, several miles (kilometers) away. "There are all kind of bullets," said one man in the crowd, screaming in a telephone call to The Associated Press, with the rattle of gunfire audible in the background.
One witness reported seeing three protesters killed in Souq al-Jomaa, and another reported a fourth death in the district of Fashloum, where another rally was trying to march to the center. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.
Gunmen opened a hail of bullets on thousands heading toward the center from Tajoura, a crowded impoverished district on the eastern side of the capital, a participant said.
"We can't see where it is coming from," he said. "They don't want to stop." He said one man next to him was shot in the neck. Others reported gunfire near Green Square itself where dozens of militiamen opened fire in the air to disperse protesters coming out of a nearby mosque. Other armed Gadhafi supporters were speeding through streets in vehicles, said another witness.

The call for regime opponents to march from mosques after prayers was the first attempt to hold a major anti-Gadhafi rally in the capital since early this week, when militiamen launched a bloody crackdown on protesters that left dozens dead. In the morning and night before, SMS messages were sent around urging, "Let us make this Friday the Friday of liberation," residents said. The residents and witnesses all spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Tripoli, home to about a third of Libya's population of 6 million, is the center of the eroding territory that Gadhafi still controls. The uprising that began Feb. 15 has swept over nearly the entire eastern half of the country, breaking cities there out of his regime's hold.
Even in the pocket of northwestern Libya around Tripoli, several cities have also fallen into the hands of the rebellion. Militiamen and pro-Gadhafi troops were repelled Thursday when they launched attacks trying to take back opposition-held territory in Zawiya and Misrata, near the capital, in fighting that killed at least 30 people.
Support for Gadhafi continued to fray within a regime where he long commanded unquestioned loyalty.
Libya's delegation to the United Nations in Geneva announced Friday it was defecting to the opposition - and it was given a standing ovation at a gathering of the U.N. Human Rights Council. They join a string of Libyan ambassadors and diplomats around the world who abandoned the regime, as have the justice and interior ministers at home, and one of Gadhafi's cousins and closest aides, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, who sought refuge in Egypt.

WASHINGTON &#8211; The Obama administration froze assets of the Libyan government, leader Moammar Gadhafi and four of his children Friday, just hours after it closed the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli and evacuated its remaining staff. U.S. officials said announcements of the steps were withheld until Americans wishing to leave the country had departed as they feared Gadhafi might retaliate amid worsening violence in the North African country.
The measures announced Friday ended days of cautious U.S. condemnation of Gadhafi that had been driven by concerns for the safety of U.S. citizens in Libya. They struck directly at his family, which is believed to have amassed great wealth over his four decades in power.
President Barack Obama accused the Gadhafi regime of violating "human rights, brutalization of its people and outrageous threats." In a statement issued by the White House, the president said "Gadhafi, his government and close associates have taken extreme measures against the people of Libya, including by using weapons of war, mercenaries and wanton violence against unarmed civilians."
"I further find that there is a serious risk that Libyan state assets will be misappropriated by Gadhafi, members of his government, members of his family, or his close associates if those assets are not protected," Obama said.
"By any measure, Moammar Gadhafi's government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable," the statement said. He added that the instability in Libya constituted an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
As Obama's statement was released, the Treasury Department identified the initial subjects of the sanctions: three of Gadhafi's sons - heir apparent Seif al-Islam, Khamis and Muatassim - and a daughter, Aisha. The presidential order also directs the secretaries of state and treasury to identify other individuals who are senior officials of the Libyan government, children of Gadhafi and others involved in the violence.
Stuart Levey, undersecretary for terrorism at the Treasury Department, said officials believe "substantial sums of money" will be frozen under the order. He declined to give an estimate.
The sharper U.S. tone and pledges of tough action came after American diplomatic personnel were evacuated from the capital of Tripoli aboard a chartered ferry and a chartered airplane, escorting them away from the violence to Malta and Turkey. As they left, fighting raged on in Tripoli and elsewhere in Libya as Gadhafi vowed to crush the rebellion that now controls large parts of the country.
With U.S. diplomats and others out of harm's way, the administration moved swiftly. Shortly after the chartered plane left Libyan airspace, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. had been constrained in moving against Gadhafi and his loyalists due to concerns over the safety of Americans but was now ready to bring more pressure on the government to halt its attacks on opponents.
"It's clear that Col. Gadhafi has lost the confidence of his people," Carney told reporters. "He is overseeing the brutal treatment of his people, the fatal violence against his own people and his legitimacy has been reduced to zero in the eyes of his people."

GENEVA - The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Friday adopted a resolution calling on the UN General Assembly to consider suspending Libya's right to membership in the Geneva forum.
The resolution was made at the council's special session on the Libya situation, during which participating members unanimously agreed to send an independent investigation team to Libya.
The document also voices grave concern over the Libyan unrest, and urges the Libyan authorities to ensure the safety of civilians and allow free entry of international human rights and humanitarian groups.

The proposal to suspend Libya's membership was pushed by Britain, France, Belgium and other European countries at the session, while other members such as Angola and Cuba called on internal dialogues among various Libyan entities and a solution reached among Libyans themselves without external interference.
The Chinese delegation told the session that China is very concerned about the situation in Libya and strongly hopes for a quick restoration of social stability in the country.
China also urged Libyan authorities to ensure the safety and legitimate rights of foreign nationals in the country.
Libya has been a member of the Human Rights Council since May 2010.
A two-thirds majority in the General Assembly would be required for an unprecedented membership suspension in the Human Rights Council, which was set up nearly five years ago.

GENEVA - China is very much concerned about the situation in Libya and urges the Libyan authorities to take concrete and solid measures to enusure safety and legitimate rights of all foreign nationals in the country, a senior Chinese diplomat said here Friday.
Internal dialogues are needed for the Libyans to find a political solution to their current problems, Ambassador Wang Qun of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Office in Geneva, told a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Libya situation.

China hopes that the session would help the Libyans achieve that goal, he added.
The ambassador also expressed concern over the possible effect of a proposed suspension of Libya's right to membership in the council.
Among the issues of the session is a resolution that calls for suspending Libya's Human Rights Council membership and launching an independent investigation into alleged abuses in the country's unrest. Libya is a member of the council since May 2010.
On the proposed suspension, Wang said China holds that there is still room for thorough discussions on the issue, and that any actions taken by the special session regarding suspension of a certain country's right to membership in the council does not constitute a precedent.

By Lance Guma|swradioafrcaSpeculation that members of the Zimbabwe National Army are in Libya to help prop up cornered dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has gained momentum. This follows Zimbabwe's Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa avoiding giving a straight answer to a question posed in Parliament.
With the eastern part of Libya having fallen to anti-Gaddafi protesters, it's being reported that mercenaries from several African countries, including Zimbabwe, are putting up a stand in the west of the country, including the capital Tripoli, on behalf of Gaddafi. They are reportedly gunning down unarmed civilians at random and Arab TV channel Al Jazeera said that Zimbabwe was helping to provide mercenaries, along with Chad and other African countries.
In Parliament on Wednesday MDC-T MP and Chief Whip, Innocent Gonese, asked Mnangagwa to respond to reports that soldiers from Zimbabwe are involved. Instead of giving a straight answer Mnangagwa said "&#8230;that there are mercenaries who are African and are in Libya &#8211; I have no mandate in my duty as Minister of Defence to investigate activities happening in another African country."
More rambling followed as Mnangagwa asked Gonese to "direct his question to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, who might also enquire through foreign relations if there are any African countries participating there." Although he went on to say there was no provision in the defence act for members of the army "to participate in cases or in events outside the country," he avoided giving a "yes or no' answer to Gonese's simple question.
Zimbabweans will however remember that in 1997 Mugabe's regime, without consultation, sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help the late Laurent Kabila against rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda. The intervention and the huge sums of money spent funding it crippled Zimbabwe's economy, while regime officials lined their pockets with mineral concessions.
Meanwhile it's being reported that Gaddafi is weighing up his options in terms of which country to flee to for sanctuary. Zimbabwe is emerging as a firm favourite, with London-based Libyan political activist Guma el-Gamaty, telling the Australian ABC news channel that "quite reliable sources" believe Gaddafi is readying to flee his country and heading to Zimbabwe.
"Gaddafi's own private plane is loaded with gold bullion and lots of hard currency, mainly dollars, and is preparing to flee to Zimbabwe to stay there with his friend Robert Mugabe. We think this could happen very shortly because the (UN) Security Council is threatening to impose a no-fly zone and we think that Gaddafi will try to escape before this no-fly zone is imposed," Guma el-Gamaty said.
Mugabe is no stranger to giving sanctuary to murderous dictators. Former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam was offered a safe haven in Zimbabwe, despite being sentenced to death by an Ethiopian court for crimes against humanity. He remains happily ensconced in his villa in the suburb of Gunhill, outside Harare, to this day.
Major Protais Mpiranya, a Rwandan army officer accused of ordering the murder of that country's Prime Minister and the Belgian soldiers who protected her, is also said to be hiding in Zimbabwe. Mpiranya, a Hutu extremist who formerly led the Presidential Guard in Rwanda, is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity by the UN war crimes tribunal.

By Lance Guma|swradioafrca
Speculation that members of the Zimbabwe National Army are in Libya to help prop up cornered dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has gained momentum. This follows Zimbabwe's Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa avoiding giving a straight answer to a question posed in Parliament.
With the eastern part of Libya having fallen to anti-Gaddafi protesters, it's being reported that mercenaries from several African countries, including Zimbabwe, are putting up a stand in the west of the country, including the capital Tripoli, on behalf of Gaddafi. They are reportedly gunning down unarmed civilians at random and Arab TV channel Al Jazeera said that Zimbabwe was helping to provide mercenaries, along with Chad and other African countries.
In Parliament on Wednesday MDC-T MP and Chief Whip, Innocent Gonese, asked Mnangagwa to respond to reports that soldiers from Zimbabwe are involved. Instead of giving a straight answer Mnangagwa said "&#8230;that there are mercenaries who are African and are in Libya &#8211; I have no mandate in my duty as Minister of Defence to investigate activities happening in another African country."
More rambling followed as Mnangagwa asked Gonese to "direct his question to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, who might also enquire through foreign relations if there are any African countries participating there." Although he went on to say there was no provision in the defence act for members of the army "to participate in cases or in events outside the country," he avoided giving a "yes or no' answer to Gonese's simple question.
Zimbabweans will however remember that in 1997 Mugabe's regime, without consultation, sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help the late Laurent Kabila against rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda. The intervention and the huge sums of money spent funding it crippled Zimbabwe's economy, while regime officials lined their pockets with mineral concessions.
Meanwhile it's being reported that Gaddafi is weighing up his options in terms of which country to flee to for sanctuary. Zimbabwe is emerging as a firm favourite, with London-based Libyan political activist Guma el-Gamaty, telling the Australian ABC news channel that "quite reliable sources" believe Gaddafi is readying to flee his country and heading to Zimbabwe.
"Gaddafi's own private plane is loaded with gold bullion and lots of hard currency, mainly dollars, and is preparing to flee to Zimbabwe to stay there with his friend Robert Mugabe. We think this could happen very shortly because the (UN) Security Council is threatening to impose a no-fly zone and we think that Gaddafi will try to escape before this no-fly zone is imposed," Guma el-Gamaty said.
Mugabe is no stranger to giving sanctuary to murderous dictators. Former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam was offered a safe haven in Zimbabwe, despite being sentenced to death by an Ethiopian court for crimes against humanity. He remains happily ensconced in his villa in the suburb of Gunhill, outside Harare, to this day.
Major Protais Mpiranya, a Rwandan army officer accused of ordering the murder of that country's Prime Minister and the Belgian soldiers who protected her, is also said to be hiding in Zimbabwe. Mpiranya, a Hutu extremist who formerly led the Presidential Guard in Rwanda, is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity by the UN war crimes tribunal.

Meanwhile it's being reported that Gaddafi is weighing up his options in terms of which country to flee to for sanctuary. Zimbabwe is emerging as a firm favourite, with London-based Libyan political activist Guma el-Gamaty, telling the Australian ABC news channel that "quite reliable sources" believe Gaddafi is readying to flee his country and heading to Zimbabwe.
"Gaddafi's own private plane is loaded with gold bullion and lots of hard currency, mainly dollars, and is preparing to flee to Zimbabwe to stay there with his friend Robert Mugabe. We think this could happen very shortly because the (UN) Security Council is threatening to impose a no-fly zone and we think that Gaddafi will try to escape before this no-fly zone is imposed," Guma el-Gamaty said.